The team made an impressive start to their campaign with a commanding victory over their arch-rivals, Pakistan, in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, on Friday.
New Delhi: India women captain Harmanpreet Kaur called on her players to embrace a fearless mindset as they set their sights on securing an eighth Asia Cup title after the Women in Blue defeated arch-rivals Pakistan on Friday in Dambulla. Opting to bat first, Pakistan were all out for 108 runs. In reply, Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana made quick work of the chase with their aggressive play from the outset. Verma struck a brisk 45, while Mandhana contributed a solid 40 as their 85-run opening stand laid the platform for India’s seven-wicket win with 35 balls to spare.
“Our bowlers and openers did the job. The first game is always a pressure game that sets the tone. Our entire unit played really well. When we were bowling, we were talking about early breakthroughs. With the bat, credit goes to Smriti and Shafali. We want to keep playing fearless cricket,” Harmanpreet said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
While Deepti Sharma took three wickets, the likes of Renuka Singh, Pooja Vastrakar and Shreyanka Patil scalped two wickets each. On the other hand, Pakistan captain Nida Dar admitted that her team’s batting during the powerplay fell short compared to their opponents. She acknowledged that this was a key factor in the match’s outcome.
“The difference was the powerplays, we lost both. The bowlers did well towards the end, though. We are confident of bouncing back,” she said. Right-arm spinner Deepti expressed her delight in playing a pivotal role in the team’s victory. With impressive figures of 3/20, she was named Player of the Match.
“I am feeling really good as I could deliver as per the plan. I had the belief. As a unit, we are doing well for the last few months. The camps we have had helped a lot. I worked on my bowling after the South Africa series, so that helped. Nida Dar is a good batter, so her wicket was important,” she said.